August 09, 2023 (MLN): The launching ceremony of the "Performance Report of the Ministry from April 2022 to August 2023" was held on Wednesday in which the Ministry for Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the country stands on its feet with dignity through progress in a just short span of time, a press release issued on the same day stated.
The 29-page report gives comprehensive achievements of the ministry from April 19, 2022, to August 9, 2023.
During the said period, the Planning Commission managed to hold 33 meetings of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), while 12 meetings of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) were held.
A large number of development projects and schemes of strategic significance were considered and approved by these development during this period, said the report.
The report emphasized that during the same period special attention was given to the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), and the Planning Ministry increased the PSDP from Rs500 billion to Rs1150bn for 2023-2024, overcoming financial limitations while ensuring transparency through the PSDP Portal, which provides digital access to 1.1 trillion worth of PSDP data.
While highlighting the performance of the CDWP, the reports said that CDWP projects that have been approved show the sensitization of priorities.
After the infrastructural projects, the major emphasis been laid on the projects of Human Development. It further said that since April 2022, the Planning Ministry has placed special emphasis upon youth empowerment and inclusive development.
This section includes several strategic initiatives undertaken by the Ministry and announced as part of the PM's Youth Development Program.
Under this program, six initiatives are on education, four center around engagement and opportunities, and two each for employment and entrepreneurship.
The National Top Talent Scholarships Program will provide Pakistani students with Masters and Ph.D. degrees in the top 25 universities of the World. In this regard, Rs4.7bn has been allocated for this project.
Establishment of Centers of Excellence on Emerging Technologies, National Centre for Nano-Technology, National Centre for Quantum Computing and National Institute of New Manufacturing was a great success of the planning ministry.
Furthermore, the establishment of the National Growth Centre will help in increasing the country's growth.
Despite an already ailing economy, the Ministry conducted the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and devised a resilient relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (4RF) framework.
This resulted in pledges of $10bn from international donors during the International Conference on Climate Resistant Pakistan in Geneva on January 9, said the report.
The report highlighted that on November 12, 2022, a pioneering initiative worth Rs40bn was launched, targeting 20 underdeveloped districts.
This marked the first time the federal government intervened to uplift impoverished districts, addressing economic disparities. Simultaneously, the Planning Ministry reconstituted the Advisory Committee to enhance policy formulation and implementation.
The crowning achievement was the launch of the '5Es Framework to Turnaround Pakistan', prioritizing Exports, Energy, Environment, E-Pakistan, and Equity & Empowerment.
This framework will prove to be the bedrock for transforming Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035.
Approved by the National Economic Council in June 2023, the framework offers a tangible pathway for economic revival in five priority areas, including Exports, E-Pakistan, Environment and Climate Change, Energy and Infrastructure, and Equity and Empowerment, explained the report.
Pakistan Outlook 2035, and Revival of CPEC were other milestone achievements of the ministry during this period of time, said the report.
The digital censuses were the landmark achievement of the ministry. This was the first time in the country's history that the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved the results of the digital census.
Recognizing the significance of Higher Education, the Planning Ministry allocated a historic budget increase for the Higher Education Commission (HEC), raising it from Rs45bn to Rs70bn.
This step was further augmented by the establishment of three centers f excellence: In November 2022, the Young Development Fellows (YDF) program was revived while giving the opportunity to the 40 YDFs to learn policy matters in the ministry.
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Posted on: 2023-08-09T22:23:38+05:00
